Cats In The Garden - Knowledgebase Question

Los Angeles, CA
Avatar for fastfingers1
Question by fastfingers1
September 23, 1999
I have a lot of stray cats in the neighborhood and many of them like to relieve themselves in my garden (some where there are plants and other parts with just dirt). Are there any natural repellants that cats hate? Any plants I might be able to plant to keep them away?


Image
Answer from NGA
September 23, 1999
Cats like to dig in nice soft soil and they visit out of habit. If you make it uncomfortable for them, they'll soon find another place to go. Since you've already planted the bed, the best deterent is to drive stakes around the perimeter of the bed and string nylon fishing line between the stakes, criss-crossing it so there's no more than about 12" inches between the lines. Keep the line about 6" inches off the ground and the plant leaves will disguise it. Cats won't be able to walk or dig in the soil and will find another litter box. If you have beds that are not yet planted, you can lay crumpled chicken wire over the soil and cut holes in it for planting. As the plants grow, the leaves will cover the wire and you won't notice it. Or, you can spread a 3" - 4" inch layer of mulch material over the soil. The larger the material, the less likely cats will want to dig in it. Try the largest size of landscape bark, or the longest straw you can find.

You must be signed in before you can post questions or answers. Click here to join!

« Return to the Garden Knowledgebase Homepage

Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Lucius93 and is called "Gerbera"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.